Hey, I have accepted a full-time permanent staff reporter spot at the Teton Valley News in Driggs, Idaho, 40 minutes from Jackson Hole, WY in the Teton Valley, starting next Friday, September 23. Sorry Emily. It turns out I won't be able to come work on Keith's Farm. Looking forward to the job in Idaho. My editor said there's already snow on the mountain and told me to bring my skis. So, Driggs, Idaho is my new home. My next task is to pack and find an affordable apartment. I'll post an address when I know it. Everyone should come visit if possible.

I went through some sort of really disorganized graduate student orientation today. It started with about half of the new anthro students meeting up in our department office (they mostly seem nice, although I didn't really get a chance to talk much with all of them) and walking down to the main event. We arrived right on time, at which point almost all the food was gone. Oh well. There were tons of people milling about, which didn't really mean that I met any of them ... just that I lost my fellow anthro students in the crowd. We never successfully met the other students, so I still don't know who they are. I went to one little workshop thing for new grad students and then skipped out on everything else ... the whole thing was a bit useless. But now I have an idea of who some of my fellow students are, and I'm excited. I can't wait to have a department function where I can actually get to know them. Or at least start classes and meet them there. Yeah, my department scheduled the dept orientation after the start date for classes. Well, at least there is something. (And apparently the faculty/grad student reception in two weeks is a rockin' event every year.) Now if only I could get my email address information ...

The whole school may be a disorganized, bureaucratic mess, but at least the people in my department are really damn nice about it all. Our graduate coordinator is like a lovely grandmother figure who has managed to avoid senility. She's great. And I met the new faculty member today: A linguistic anthropologist who has been recently working on a project about gesture and speech. woo! Good times. I'm a nerd. I think I belong here.

ok, i'm being kicked out of the library, but i would like to point out that Pete has already broken his promise and called me from a restarant, NOT his home. He's moved to the Dark Side, folks. heh heh heh.